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California · September

What foragers look for in California in September

13 of the 20 species on the California calendar have September records. Listed by how much of each row's year falls in this month.

Never eat anything based on this page or on the app. These tables show when people recorded these species in public datasets. They do not say anything is ripe, edible or safe, and they do not help identify a find. Confirm every find with a qualified local expert.
‹ AugustOctober ›
  1. Wild grapesVitis spp.
    Peak month for records
    100% of this row's peak · iNaturalist research-grade observations, California · n=163 (53 in September)
  2. Wild roses (hips)Rosa spp.
    Peak month for records
    100% of this row's peak · iNaturalist research-grade observations, California · n=2,785 (570 in September)
    USA-NPN cross-check: 116 "Ripe fruits" plant-year records in California peak in October.
  3. Blueberries, huckleberries and relativesVaccinium spp.
    Records tailing off
    86% of this row's peak · iNaturalist research-grade observations, California · n=1,526 (369 in September)
    USA-NPN cross-check: 49 "Ripe fruits" plant-year records in California peak in July.
  4. Prickly pearOpuntia spp.
    Records tailing off
    77% of this row's peak · iNaturalist research-grade observations, California · n=3,132 (329 in September)
  5. Chicken of the woodsLaetiporus spp.
    Records rising
    75% of this row's peak · iNaturalist research-grade observations, California · n=11,500 (3,021 in September)
  6. ChokecherryPrunus virginiana
    Records tailing off
    61% of this row's peak · iNaturalist research-grade observations, California · n=337 (82 in September)
  7. ElderberriesSambucus spp.
    Records tailing off
    47% of this row's peak · iNaturalist research-grade observations, California · n=4,818 (617 in September)
    USA-NPN cross-check: 1302 "Ripe fruits" plant-year records in California peak in July.
  8. SumacsRhus spp.
    Records tailing off
    37% of this row's peak · iNaturalist research-grade observations, California · n=1,069 (69 in September)
    USA-NPN cross-check: 115 "Ripe fruits" plant-year records in California peak in May.
  9. Blackberries, raspberries and relativesRubus spp.
    Records tailing off
    30% of this row's peak · iNaturalist research-grade observations, California · n=3,390 (286 in September)
    USA-NPN cross-check: 99 "Ripe fruits" plant-year records in California peak in June.
  10. King boleteBoletus edulis
    Records rising
    27% of this row's peak · iNaturalist research-grade observations, California · n=2,630 (183 in September)
  11. ChanterellesCantharellus spp.
    Records tailing off
    23% of this row's peak · iNaturalist research-grade observations, California · n=3,831 (188 in September)
  12. Serviceberries (juneberries)Amelanchier spp.
    Records tailing off
    19% of this row's peak · iNaturalist research-grade observations, California · n=101 (6 in September)
  13. HazelnutsCorylus spp.
    Records tailing off
    12% of this row's peak · iNaturalist research-grade observations, California · n=295 (12 in September)
    USA-NPN cross-check: 19 "Ripe fruits" plant-year records in California peak in August.

In California, September is the busiest month of the year for records of: Wild grapes, Wild roses (hips). "Peak month" means the month with the most records for that row; "rising" and "tailing off" describe the record counts on either side of it, nothing about the plant or fungus itself.

‹ AugustOctober ›

Questions

What do foragers look for in California in September?

In public records for California, people most often report these in September: Wild grapes, Wild roses (hips), Blueberries, huckleberries and relatives, Prickly pear, Chicken of the woods, Chokecherry, Elderberries, Sumacs. This is a list of records, not of anything safe to eat.

Does a record mean it is ripe or edible?

No. A record means someone reported the species that month. It says nothing about ripeness, quantity or edibility, and many have dangerous lookalikes. Confirm every find with a qualified local expert.

Same month, nearby

Oregon in SeptemberArizona in September

California: the whole year · September across the US

Source and date

Counts are public records by calendar month, shown as a share of each row's busiest month. A record means someone reported the species that month; it says nothing about quantity, ripeness or safety. Records follow where and when people go out, so busy weekends and popular parks count more than remote ground.

iNaturalist
Research-grade observations, California, all years to 2026-10-20: mushrooms as all observations; fruit and nut plants as observations annotated "Fruits or Seeds". Retrieved 2026-10-20 from the iNaturalist API. inaturalist.org
USA-NPN
Nature's Notebook "Ripe fruits" phenophase status records, California, 2009–2025 (one record = one plant in one year, from first to last "yes"). Retrieved 2026-10-20 from the USA National Phenology Network data service, shown as a cross-check where a row has at least 8 records. usanpn.org
Rows
The 13 rows above are the species with at least 10% of their peak-month count, and at least 3 records, in September in California. Common names are the ones foragers use and are not an identification; the scientific name is the source's taxon.

Record what you find

Forager's Field Notes is a private journal: your own names, your own patches, stored only on your phone. Log a find and your own calendar builds itself, week by week, with a year wheel you can share and a field checklist for next month.

It never identifies species or judges edibility. Free to start, no account.

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